The present invention relates generally to surface mount devices, and more particularly, to a removal tool for removing surface mount devices from printed wiring boards.
The prior an relating to the present invention may be described as a rotational shear removal tool. The rotational shear removal tool removes surface mount components bonded to printed wiring boards by rotating the surface mount component with respect to the printed wiring board until the bonding material breaks free. The primary disadvantage of the rotational shear removal tool is that the rotational shear is not consistent across the bonding area of the surface mount component. The rotational shear is at a minimum at the outer edges of surface mount component and a maximum at the center of the surface mount component. When comparing the present linear shear device and the conventional rotational shear device for a given component that is to be removed, there is typically more force applied to the surface mount component with the rotational shear device, which increases the possibility of damage to the component. Further, the rotational shear device can only remove relatively small components because larger components require an excessive amount of contact force on the surface mount component that would damage them.
In view of the above, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for an improved removal tool for removing surface mount devices from printed wiring boards. It is also an objective to provide for a removal tool that removes a bonded surface mount component from a printed wiring board using the application of linear shear to the body of the component. It is a further objective to provide for a removal tool that removes a bonded surface mount component from a printed wiring board that minimizes the possibility of damaging the body of the surface mount component and/or electrical leads during removal.